‘Today’ Returns To Moment Of Silence Mode On September 11

One year after being savaged for its decision not to carry live the traditional Moment of Silence ceremony on September 11, NBC’s Today show got back in step with competitors this morning, airing a four-minute report anchored by Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer. Last year on this date, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS This Morning and the cable news nets carried the moment-of-silence ceremonies in NYC and at the White House. But at 8:46 AM — the time when the first plane hit the World Trade Center 11 years earlier — Today was interviewing Kris “Mama Kardashian” Jenner about the expiration date on her breast implants and the season finale of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E!, which is owned by NBC parent Comcast.Today devoted some time that day to commemorating the 9/11 anniversary, but The Reporters Who Cover Television jumped all over its MOS counter-programming call, gleefully noting NBC was being torched on Twitter with understatements such as “The terrorists just won” and “#NBC talking about Kris Kardashian’s boobs at 8:46? #epicfail #respect.” It was considered one of Today’s bigger PR disasters — not to be confused with the Ann Curry ouster and Lauer’s whiny interview in the new issue of Esquire.